Making Sense of History: Using High-Quality Literature and Hands-On Experiences to Build Content Knowledge

by Myra Zarnowski, James Cross Giblin (Foreword by)

For teachers interested in building reading skills and content knowledge simultaneously, this book is for them. Myra Zarnowski breaks the mold on traditional instruction by providing guidelines for building students’ understanding of and excitement for history. She demonstrates how to use high-quality literature and hands-on experiences to help students not only grasp the facts, but make sense of the facts. Loaded with book lists, step-by-step study units, and the work of real students, this book is just what teachers need to get students thinking, learning, and caring about the people and events of the past. For use with Grades 3 & Up.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dana Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was chosen as a required text for an Elementary Social Studies Methods class I had the opportunity to teach. The book is geared to elementary teachers and students, but many of the methods could be utilized for secondary teachers/students as well.

I like that Zarnowski focuses on historical thinking, hands-on minds-on experiences, and the use of literature to strengthen student connections with history as well as their own personal experiences. I also like her focus on reading in the content area and her many examples of working through both nonfiction and historical fiction text. In addition, Zarnowski provides a variety of post-reading strategies to use with students. I would recommend this book to reading teachers, elementary teachers, and any teacher who is looking for something new to change up the social studies routine at the secondary level.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and thought-provoking books that examines ways that teachers of history can provide historical context and perspective to help students understand history in the same way historians do. Easy to read, understand. Contains great examples that covers many different time periods in American History.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book's approach toward history: hands-on, minds-on, lit-based. The inquiry methods resonated with my pedagogy. Unfortunately, it had loads more for US history than ancient World history, so I didn't get many concrete ideas out of it.